WEBVTT

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you that now about, let's see, I'll do my math

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right, about 1600 years ago or so, something

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like that, over 1600 years ago, that the emperor

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of Rome became a Christian. His grandmother was

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a Christian, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,

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and there was upheaval in Rome, and at a particular

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moment, he was about to go into a huge battle,

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and he thought that he saw in the sky a promise

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from God. that if he would submit himself, his

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army, if they would become Christians to Christ,

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that God would give them victory. And so he committed

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his life to Christ, and then he entreated his

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entire army to do the same, and they all professed

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that they would do the same. And so the priest

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that he summoned stood by the river. and he dipped

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a huge branch with many leaves on it in the river,

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and an army marched past him, and he baptized

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them all. I baptize you in the name of the Lord

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Jesus Christ. And they went on to win the battle,

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and Constantine became the emperor of Rome and

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lived his life as a professing Christian. Now,

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there were lots of issues. We won't get into

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the issues, but the bottom line is he was professing

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to be a Christian, and he made Christianity the

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state religion of Rome. Later on in life, he

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moved his capital from Rome to a city that he

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basically built called Constantinople. That's

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where it came from. That city named after that

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emperor became Constantinople. And it became

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the seat of Roman government and also the seat

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of Christianity. But very rapidly... The Roman

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government retained its seat in Rome, and so

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there was a break in power between the two, and

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Constantine became known, Constantinople became

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known as the Christian city that it was built

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to be. In the city, they built church buildings

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because it was supposed to be a Christian city.

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But also they wanted people to come who were

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not Christians because you got to win people

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to Christ, right? It's kind of like America.

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America was built pretty much to be a Christian

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country, but certainly we accepted, and the truth,

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the freedom of religion because we want other

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people so that they can leave that religion and

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become Christians. If you only have Christians

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or the only people allowed in your country, for

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example, then who are you going to win to Christ?

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So that would be worthless. So Constantinople...

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Also, they said, well, we not only have to build

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church buildings, we also have to build temples

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to the gods. So this Christian government, Christian

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city -state, built temples to false gods so that

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people would come and worship the temple so that

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they would have somebody to win to Christ. So

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you go down Temple Row, and the church buildings

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were basically on one side, and the other side

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was a temple to Athena, a temple to Zeus, a temple

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to Apollo, a temple to various gods that people

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were Artemis and people that were worshipped

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all over the world. And the idea was Christians

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that were moving to Constantinople were supposed

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to witness to these people, were supposed to

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win them to Christ. But a problem developed.

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The problem was that what were considered basically

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ancient religions, the Greek religions that had

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been around for thousands of years, had very

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developed structure. And so as soon as the people

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came into the temple to worship, guess what they

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did? Well, for one, they formed choirs. So the

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choirs would sing and they sang beautifully because

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choirs do that. I mean, the nice thing about

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choirs, you don't have to be a great voice and

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you get in the choir and once you get to like

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30 people, everybody's voice, human voices blend

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beautifully at that level and choirs can do it.

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Not everybody had a horrible voice. It probably

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would be a pretty bad choir. choir but you only

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have to have the mediocre voice to make a great

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choir and so you go down the temple row and here

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is the temples on the left these choirs sing

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and they sound like beautiful and over here the

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christians and they were singing no instruments

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or whatever but they would be singing worship

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but they didn't have a choir they weren't training

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as a choir they just were people who came who

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worked in the city doing whatever and they came

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to be the church in that place and so the sound

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on the temple side was great and the sound on

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the christian side was okay pretty good So if

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you're walking down the street deciding when

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you're going to go to worship, you go where the

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sound is great. So guess what the Christian church

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did? They created choirs. They said, well, they've

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got choirs. We're going to have to have choirs.

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And so from that moment on, choirs became a thing.

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Now, choirs of angels in the Bible, right? A

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choir was in the temple. So nothing really wrong

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with a choir. But it didn't exist in the church

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until they were competing with the temples that

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were across the street that had great choirs.

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Also, in the Christian churches, they did not

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put in chairs or pews because that was not normal.

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You come together and worship. If you needed

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to, you just sat on the floor. Christianity basically

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started as a Middle Eastern country. Oh, get

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that. It's not cranked down. So they would just

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sit on the floor or stand. If they were tired,

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they'd sit on the floor. Otherwise, they'd just

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stand. And so the temples, being an ancient religion,

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they had pews or seats, which we would later

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call pews. If you're going down and you need

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to sit down during worship, you're like, well,

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we'll just go in the temple, right? You don't

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know Jesus. So what difference does it make to

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you? You're going to worship some God hoping

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for something better. So you go to the temple

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of Zeus where you can sit down and listen to

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the choir sing. So the Christian church said,

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well, they've all got pews. And I asked my cousin

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why he went to the temple of Apollo last week

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instead of the temple or instead of coming to

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the Christian church. And he said, because he

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wanted to sit down. So guess what the Christian

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church did? They put in pews, right? So then

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there was the ancient religions always had daises.

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The front of the room was raised so you could

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see very good what was happening on. So the Christian

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church put in daises. So then the ancient religions

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always had a speaking platform or a pulpit that

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would raise the speaker above everybody else

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so everybody could see him good, meet his eyes,

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listen to him, whatever like that. So the Christian

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churches put in pulpits. You see where this is

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going? The chair that you're sitting on, the

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room in fact that you're in probably, The pulpit,

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even the contemporary worship, which is our version

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of choir, right? It sounds really good when we

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sing along with people with guitar and drums

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and like that, right? None of that is ordained

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by God. None of that. God says, worship with

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your voice, worship with your body, worship with

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any instrument you can get your hands on, if

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you can make any kind of a joyful noise with

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the instrument, right? And we combine that all

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into a fairly nice production. God has really

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blessed us. Our worship is awesome. Don't get

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me wrong. I'm not saying anything negative. This

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pulpit, not really necessary, right? So we could

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all come in this room with no chairs and no instruments

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other than what we just bring with us on any

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given Sunday, right? Anybody that comes, Alicia

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probably typically would bring a guitar because

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she can play the guitar. Tim would haul a piano

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in on his back. No, probably not. We'll just

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leave it there. But the point is, we could come

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together each Sunday and worship, but it would

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not be the production that's going on in the

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megachurches. quote -unquote mega churches all

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over the U .S. right now. In fact, what we have

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is probably not as good a production as they

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have. And somebody probably got up this morning

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and went to one of those churches because their

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production is awesome. And if the gospel is truly

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shared, they might get saved. They might give

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their life to the Lord if the gospel is truly

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shared. But you know, the gospel is not really

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shared convictingly, straightly. in false worship.

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So if you come to the Christian church and you

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start to think, you know, look, I'm a sinner.

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I lie and I cheat and I steal and I have to put

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my finger on the scale to make it weigh a little

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bit more. So I make that extra three or four

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gold pieces every month. That's how I'm really

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getting ahead in the world, right? Or I collect

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a little too much taxes. But the Roman law says

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I'm allowed to do that, but I'm collecting too

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much taxes because that's how my family is going

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to be wealthy for generations. And that's how

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my dad did it. My grandfather did. They always

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collected too much taxes. So I'm going to do

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that too. And when I go to the Christian church,

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I start to feel bad. about those kinds of things

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so after a while the Christian Church dumbed

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down its message to be more like what was going

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on across the street and then more people came

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to church and it's still going on that way today

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the truth is that the Bible the Word of God the

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blood of Jesus Christ the truth of the Bible

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The truth of the gospel is all that's needed

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for a person to begin their journey as a Christian.

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Now, after that, there are things that you should

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do. We talked about why you should be in church

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earlier. Just one aspect of that, which is that's

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where spiritual gifts are meant to be used. And

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so if you're an encourager and you aren't in

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the church encouraging people in the church because

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it says that gift is given to encourage the church

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and specifically your gift is encouragement and

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you don't use it in the church, you're not going

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to get that attaboy. You're not going to get

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that strength. The power to do what it is is

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in the gospel first and then in acting out. what

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God has given us to do. And every time we dumb

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it down or add things to it and start to think

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that they are a part of what God has ordained

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for us to do. We are losing God. That's what's

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happening. And now we're going to look at a story

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in the Bible, a very clear example of how that

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exactly happened. Now, you might be thinking,

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how could we be in the book of Judges? We just

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read the story. If you didn't read ahead, we

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just read the story of Gideon last week and how

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they came and tried to make Gideon king. And

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the sermon was properly king. You can listen

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to it on the podcast if you didn't get a chance

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to hear it yet. The sermon was properly king

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because only God is properly king. And that's

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what Gideon said. Gideon was like, no, you're

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not going to make me or my sons king. For God

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to rule over you. And that was great, wasn't

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it? Like I was like, wow, go Gideon. But listen

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to what happens next. It's hard to be excited

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about this passage of scripture, but I hope you're

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listening to the Lord as we go to Judges chapter

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eight. Amen. Praise the Lord. This is his word.

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So we'll back up to 22. We already read this

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last week. The Israelites said to Gideon, rule

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over us, so you as well as your sons and your

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grandsons, for you delivered us from the power

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of Midian. But Gideon said to them, I will not

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rule over you. And my son will not rule over

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you. The Lord will rule over you. Then he said

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to them, and this is where it starts to go wrong

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so quickly, like the very next verse. He probably

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didn't even take a breath. Or if he did, it was

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one breath, right? And he went straight to saying

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this. He says, let me make a request of you.

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Everyone give me an earring from your plunder.

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Now the enemy had gold earrings because they

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were Ishmaelites. So the Ishmaelites had a tendency

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to wear gold earrings and mark them. And then

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what kind of, how big or what their earring was

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like gave them status, right? So they had a certain

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kind of earring. Then they were like a lieutenant

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or a leader or had many children or that kind

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of thing, right? And so they wore earrings and

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their earrings, of course, were worth a lot of

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money. Now, so first of all, I want you to, this

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is a very reasonable request. All of the that

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were involved in this whole process just got

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rich. They will literally not even notice that

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earring. It's probably not remotely close to

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10 % of what they just made. It's probably like

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maybe a tenth of a percent, right? So it's extremely

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reasonable request. It's really more in the act

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of it, right? So it's really more in the, would

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you go get that earring and bring it over here

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and put it in my cloak? Not, can I have an earring?

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I'm guessing some of them gave more, right? They're

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like, what? man, it's Gideon. And they probably

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walk in and they're like, here's that earring

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you asked for and here's a bucket of stuff, right?

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And so the pile just grew, right? But we don't

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know that for sure, but I'm guessing that was

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probably true. So this was a very reasonable

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request. It wasn't going to hit them at all.

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They would never notice it. I submit to you on

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a side note, tithing is like that for those of

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us who struggle with tithing. Once you begin

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to do it, God adds to the pot and it's not a

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problem. And people are like, well, I don't know.

00:17:34.390 --> 00:17:36.910
But if you're committed and you can go to Malachi

00:17:36.910 --> 00:17:38.529
3 another time and read it or whatever the Lord

00:17:38.529 --> 00:17:40.789
says, it's like that. He takes care of it once

00:17:40.789 --> 00:17:42.990
it gets started. And this was no difficult request

00:17:42.990 --> 00:17:45.150
for them. This wasn't even the tithe. This was

00:17:45.150 --> 00:17:48.680
just an earring. Then it was a symbol. in that

00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:52.019
this is a symbol of the victory that God gave

00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:54.460
them through Gideon. Not a symbol of Gideon's

00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:57.160
victory, right? Although, yeah, Gideon was obedient.

00:17:57.380 --> 00:17:59.500
Gideon's got all the fame for it now, at least

00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:01.359
in the moment. And they're recognizing how good

00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:03.680
he was and like that. But that they would make

00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:07.940
that act shows that in reality, everything could

00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:10.000
have been required from them. All that they collected

00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:11.460
could have been asked for them because they didn't

00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:15.039
do it. God did it, right? So 100 % of the wealth

00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:16.400
that they have just received could have been

00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.220
asked. It could have been under... the ban. That's

00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:19.480
an actual thing. You go back and look in the

00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:22.039
Old Testament, early judges and previously, the

00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:24.259
ban was no matter what you take in trappings,

00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:25.599
it all has to be dedicated to God. You don't

00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:27.259
get to keep any of it. That was the ban. But

00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:28.960
it wasn't under the ban, just a little earring,

00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:31.359
right? So it's a reminder that God can ask you

00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:33.640
for whatever he wants to ask you for. As much

00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:35.180
as you might not like it, he can ask you for

00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:37.079
whatever he wants you to ask you for. And your

00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:40.680
answer is yes. That's it. So whatever he wants

00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:42.640
to ask for, your answer is always yes. But this

00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:44.740
is just a little earring, just a symbolic gesture,

00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.470
okay? Except it's going wrong. because this was

00:18:47.470 --> 00:18:50.930
not intended. Verse 25 says, or 20, that's a

00:18:50.930 --> 00:18:54.009
very small number, 25, yes. They said, we agree

00:18:54.009 --> 00:18:56.769
to give them. So they spread out a mantle, which

00:18:56.769 --> 00:18:58.690
is basically like a cloak garment, right? And

00:18:58.690 --> 00:19:01.470
everyone threw an earring from his plunder on

00:19:01.470 --> 00:19:04.430
it. The weight of the gold earrings he requested

00:19:04.430 --> 00:19:08.650
was about 43 pounds of gold. Now an earring doesn't

00:19:08.650 --> 00:19:10.650
weigh a lot, but a gold earring weighs more than

00:19:10.650 --> 00:19:12.170
a regular earring, right? So it's probably a

00:19:12.170 --> 00:19:14.710
lot of earrings per pound. And they gave him

00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:17.799
43 pounds worth of ear. That's a lot. Then in

00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:22.240
addition, the crescent ornaments and ear pendants,

00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:24.839
the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and

00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:26.819
the chains on the necks of their camels. And

00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:29.720
so see, they're heaping on. given more than they

00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:33.019
have to give. Verse 27, Gideon made an ephod.

00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:35.960
So an ephod is a garment. It's innerwear, really.

00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:38.019
It's not an outer garment. It's meant to be worn

00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:40.460
over your robes, under your breastplate, okay?

00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:42.640
And so it's kind of like a padding kind of thing,

00:19:42.740 --> 00:19:45.019
but it can also be more decorative when the breastplate

00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:47.200
is lighter and less decorative. And we'll look

00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:50.240
at examples of ephods in a second. So he made,

00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:53.059
out of all that mess, and probably didn't use

00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:55.039
all of it, right? He took probably key parts

00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:57.480
and he had a craftsman and so on. And he made

00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:00.319
an ephod. He made an ephod from all this and

00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:03.220
he put it in Ophrah, his hometown. So that's

00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:05.259
where Gideon's family traditionally came from.

00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:06.960
He's going back there. He's going to live there,

00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.279
live out the rest of his life, right? And he'll...

00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:11.960
be used as a judge. He'll be recognized as an

00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:14.039
authority. His family will be given prestige

00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:16.160
for what has happened, all that kind of thing,

00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:17.740
even though when he started out, he was no big

00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:20.460
deal, right? And they put the ephod in Ophrah.

00:20:20.579 --> 00:20:24.480
Then all Israel prostituted themselves with it

00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:27.359
there and became a snare to Gideon and his household.

00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:30.079
In other words, the ephod, the innerwear that

00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:33.480
he made out of that stuff, they began to recognize

00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:36.839
it as an authority. So in a monarchy, in a kingdom

00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:40.000
that is a monarchy, the crown itself has authority.

00:20:40.259 --> 00:20:42.700
Should it? Probably not. But that's why when

00:20:42.700 --> 00:20:44.480
they say the king, well, the king ordered it.

00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:45.720
They don't say the king ordered it. They say

00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:48.319
the crown ordered it, right? The king has the

00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.019
crown. Whoever wears the crown is king. And nobody

00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:53.819
who is not king wears the crown. Well, it becomes

00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:56.619
like that with the ephod, right? But more than

00:20:56.619 --> 00:20:59.839
that, people began to think that when they sinned

00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:03.220
or did wrong, it was the ephod that punished

00:21:03.220 --> 00:21:05.470
them. People began to think that they had to

00:21:05.470 --> 00:21:09.069
recognize the ephod as an authority, as if it

00:21:09.069 --> 00:21:12.490
was the mark of rule of their nation. Right after

00:21:12.490 --> 00:21:16.349
Gideon said, God alone will rule over you. Now,

00:21:16.390 --> 00:21:19.349
I submit to you that Gideon knew people's propensity

00:21:19.349 --> 00:21:21.150
to do that. I ask you, why on earth would he

00:21:21.150 --> 00:21:23.109
then make this ephod and the laws allow this

00:21:23.109 --> 00:21:25.210
problem to happen? He knew their propensity because

00:21:25.210 --> 00:21:27.009
they wanted to make him king and he refused.

00:21:27.329 --> 00:21:29.410
So he knew they were willing to do that, have

00:21:29.410 --> 00:21:31.710
false gods lead them. But I mean, he probably

00:21:31.710 --> 00:21:35.619
thought, but it's a garment. It's an inanimate

00:21:35.619 --> 00:21:39.960
object. It's not a crown or nothing. And also

00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:42.319
God had ordered that they would have created

00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:44.559
an ephod previously and they've lost the ephod

00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:46.519
that God had ordered that they should have created.

00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:48.700
And so this is kind of like a replacement. So

00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:51.259
a replacement for what God ordered them to originally

00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:53.839
make. Okay, well that doesn't sound so bad. And

00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:56.380
it's just an ephod. I mean, come on. But in Gideon's

00:21:56.380 --> 00:21:59.079
day, all Israel begins to prostitute themselves.

00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:01.440
That means they worshipped it instead of God

00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:03.720
because of the ephod. And it says, then it became

00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:06.559
a snare to Gideon and his household. Notice that

00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:08.319
the results of the whole thing are actually pretty

00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.160
good. And this is what will get you most of the

00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:12.539
time. This is what traps you stuck with the thing

00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:14.579
that you don't actually want. Because verse 28

00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:25.460
says, So Gideon continues to serve and the land

00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:29.380
is peaceful during that 40 years. While Israelites

00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:32.950
prostituting themselves. with the ephod and using

00:22:32.950 --> 00:22:35.829
it as their leader. And it was spreading, becoming

00:22:35.829 --> 00:22:38.750
more like that and less like God is in charge.

00:22:39.009 --> 00:22:41.630
So the battle is over. Gideon has refused to

00:22:41.630 --> 00:22:43.549
become king and refused that his descendants

00:22:43.549 --> 00:22:46.569
would become king. He essentially said, No, God

00:22:46.569 --> 00:22:49.970
will rule over us. Then almost as an afterthought,

00:22:50.069 --> 00:22:52.210
he asked for the trappings. The people would

00:22:52.210 --> 00:22:55.950
be unified in this small act of devotion. It's

00:22:55.950 --> 00:22:58.009
really no big deal. And then the unification

00:22:58.009 --> 00:23:00.430
of the people, the craftsmen would make this

00:23:00.430 --> 00:23:02.990
ephod, which would remember, remind the people,

00:23:03.089 --> 00:23:05.650
in Gideon's mind, would remind the people that

00:23:05.650 --> 00:23:07.690
God is in charge. And when they unified, God

00:23:07.690 --> 00:23:10.390
did great things through them and cast off the

00:23:10.390 --> 00:23:12.529
yoke that was placed upon them by the Midianites,

00:23:12.609 --> 00:23:14.950
Ishmaelites, and all the northern tribes, right?

00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:17.920
So it all sounds good, but then he makes this

00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:20.519
and it becomes an artifact of worship similar

00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:22.579
to the one that God originally commanded, but

00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:25.940
they missed the symbolism of the original ephod.

00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:28.279
They missed the number one thing that everybody

00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:31.200
should have got about the original ephod. So

00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:33.660
let's take a look at ephods in scripture. So

00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:35.240
if you've got your Bible, we're going to flip

00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:40.380
for a second to 2 Samuel 6 .14. 2 Samuel. So

00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:43.039
you're going to go to the right. Okay, this is

00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:45.319
the first example and not a terrible example

00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:47.680
of an ephod that we're going to look at today.

00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:49.619
But we're going to need, we're going to blend

00:23:49.619 --> 00:23:51.680
all three examples together to get an understanding

00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:54.240
of what was going on here. So it says, beginning

00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:56.759
in 12, it was reported to King David, the Lord

00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:58.960
has blessed Obed -Edom's family and all that

00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:01.240
belongs to him because of the ark of God. So

00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:03.319
David went and had the ark of God brought up

00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:05.619
from Obed -Edom's house to the city of David

00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:08.160
with rejoicing. When those carrying the ark of

00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:10.240
the Lord advanced six steps, he sacrificed an

00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:14.180
ox and fattened calf. Verse 14, David was dancing

00:24:14.180 --> 00:24:17.019
with all his night. I'm sorry, with all his might

00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:20.759
before the Lord wearing a linen ephod. So there's

00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:23.519
an ephod that David constructed. Now the funny

00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:25.180
thing about a linen ephod, first of all, it's

00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:27.400
nothing like the ephod that God commanded to

00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:30.259
be constructed for worship. Secondly, it is a

00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:33.319
humble garment. A linen ephod is more like...

00:24:33.529 --> 00:24:36.529
old -fashioned innerwear or an underwear piece,

00:24:36.750 --> 00:24:38.950
basically, right? So he's wearing a linen. It's

00:24:38.950 --> 00:24:42.049
a very soft, thin, cheap garment, basically,

00:24:42.049 --> 00:24:44.210
compared to the fact, who is David? David's the

00:24:44.210 --> 00:24:47.170
king. So what he normally wears in public and

00:24:47.170 --> 00:24:50.970
stuff like that is rich and beautiful and authoritative.

00:24:51.269 --> 00:24:53.970
So David standing before the Lord in a linen

00:24:53.970 --> 00:24:57.609
ephod is recognizing that it is not his authority,

00:24:57.829 --> 00:25:00.309
right? He's sacrificing those bulls and rams

00:25:00.309 --> 00:25:02.329
as the ark is moving toward where they're going

00:25:02.329 --> 00:25:04.789
to put it. back up near Jerusalem. I think it's

00:25:04.789 --> 00:25:06.269
going to Shiloh, actually. But anyway, the point

00:25:06.269 --> 00:25:08.069
is, where they were going to put it, and he's

00:25:08.069 --> 00:25:10.890
sacrificing, recognizing constantly, why do we

00:25:10.890 --> 00:25:12.529
need to sacrifice again? We need to sacrifice

00:25:12.529 --> 00:25:15.250
for sins. We are sinful people. And though I

00:25:15.250 --> 00:25:18.049
am a man I desire to be, after God's own heart,

00:25:18.250 --> 00:25:20.509
I'm going to wear a linen ephod. I'm going to

00:25:20.509 --> 00:25:23.029
humbly come to the Lord and recognize not my

00:25:23.029 --> 00:25:25.329
authority, not by my authority is this accomplished,

00:25:25.470 --> 00:25:28.049
but by God's. That's not a bad ephod. It's not

00:25:28.049 --> 00:25:29.690
the one that God ordained for the temple, but

00:25:29.690 --> 00:25:31.250
it's not a bad ephod. I submit to you that in

00:25:31.250 --> 00:25:34.299
that story, the ephod that God ordained for the

00:25:34.299 --> 00:25:37.400
temple appears. Where does it appear? Well, let's

00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:39.660
look at the ephod that God ordained for the temple.

00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:43.380
Exodus 28. Going to the left. It's back in the

00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:47.359
day. Moses is still alive. God is giving commands

00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:50.079
about worship, about the holy temple, and so

00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:53.490
on. Here in Exodus 28, we'll be in verse 9. So

00:25:53.490 --> 00:25:56.990
Exodus 28, beginning in verse 9. This is the

00:25:56.990 --> 00:26:00.089
actual command to build the ephod for the temple.

00:26:00.230 --> 00:26:04.809
Exodus 28, verse 9. Take two onyx stones and

00:26:04.809 --> 00:26:07.650
engrave them with the names of Israel's sons,

00:26:07.930 --> 00:26:10.269
six of their names on the first stone and the

00:26:10.269 --> 00:26:12.650
remaining six names on the second stone in the

00:26:12.650 --> 00:26:14.769
order of the birthright. Engrave the two stones

00:26:14.769 --> 00:26:16.849
with the names of Israel's sons as a gem cutter

00:26:16.849 --> 00:26:19.460
engraves a seal. Mount them. surrounded with

00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:22.880
gold filigree settings fastened both on the shoulder

00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:26.720
pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the

00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:28.900
israelites so actually beginning verse 8 says

00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:31.099
it gives what material it would be made of it's

00:26:31.099 --> 00:26:33.160
a very fine ephod and so on and then beginning

00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:36.539
in verse 9 two onyx stones first of all the ability

00:26:36.539 --> 00:26:39.339
to engrave six names on each one of those onyx

00:26:39.339 --> 00:26:41.099
stones that's pretty incredible right so this

00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:43.920
is a fine crafted garment fine crafted ephod

00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:46.779
is a big deal worth a ton and gets stolen later

00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:49.910
right And then the 12 tribes of Israel are divided

00:26:49.910 --> 00:26:52.549
between the two stones. And then the high priest

00:26:52.549 --> 00:26:56.069
will wear this ephod when he goes before God.

00:26:56.150 --> 00:26:58.210
Are you seeing the symbolism now? The people

00:26:58.210 --> 00:27:02.369
of God need a high priest to go before God to

00:27:02.369 --> 00:27:04.549
make intercession for them. Are you seeing this

00:27:04.549 --> 00:27:08.089
now? The high priest carries the people before

00:27:08.089 --> 00:27:11.809
God so that God... We'll love them. God will

00:27:11.809 --> 00:27:14.150
care for them. God will be their God. God will

00:27:14.150 --> 00:27:17.569
lead them because they are unworthy of that kind

00:27:17.569 --> 00:27:20.190
of attention. The high priest must carry the

00:27:20.190 --> 00:27:22.670
tribes of Israel, which represents the entire

00:27:22.670 --> 00:27:24.910
kingdom of God eventually, right? Once Christianity

00:27:24.910 --> 00:27:27.210
comes and we are essentially joining Israel in

00:27:27.210 --> 00:27:29.609
becoming Christianity, those that do. The high

00:27:29.609 --> 00:27:32.390
priest will carry Christianity, will carry the

00:27:32.390 --> 00:27:34.029
kingdom, will carry the church, will carry the

00:27:34.029 --> 00:27:36.029
Israelites, will carry the faith, the people

00:27:36.029 --> 00:27:39.190
of faith before God. Because they can't do it

00:27:39.190 --> 00:27:41.529
for themselves. So now who is that a picture

00:27:41.529 --> 00:27:44.529
of? It's a picture of Jesus. That we need a high

00:27:44.529 --> 00:27:47.509
priest who will carry us before God. That's what

00:27:47.509 --> 00:27:49.410
the ephod was a picture of. So now go back for

00:27:49.410 --> 00:27:52.079
a minute to David's linen ephod. no stones on

00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:54.619
his shoulder, not meant to represent the ephod

00:27:54.619 --> 00:27:56.359
that was taking place in the temple or that God

00:27:56.359 --> 00:27:58.220
had ordered previously. David was not trying

00:27:58.220 --> 00:28:00.920
to replace the temple ephod. He was wearing one

00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:03.920
to humbly say, I cannot, I can't save myself,

00:28:04.180 --> 00:28:07.140
let alone save my people. I can't bring my people

00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:10.359
before God, right? But I humbly come to the Lord

00:28:10.359 --> 00:28:12.779
recognizing that that's true. So if I said to

00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:14.920
you that in the story that we read of David dancing

00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:17.839
before the Lord in an ephod, that the ephod was

00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:21.460
present, where was the high priest? ephod present

00:28:21.460 --> 00:28:24.039
in that story. Anybody get it? At the sacrifice

00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:27.480
every six feet. Every six feet all the way from

00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:29.619
the house of Obed -Edom to where the temple,

00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:31.660
where the... the holy Ark of the Covenant would

00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:34.299
come to rest and they sacrificed every six feet.

00:28:34.440 --> 00:28:37.279
You understand? We need a sacrifice to pay for

00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:40.400
our sins every time we sin. And we have no sacrifice.

00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:42.220
There's no bull that can be sacrificed. That

00:28:42.220 --> 00:28:45.339
doesn't work. All of that was to picture the

00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:47.900
coming of Jesus Christ would be the sacrifice,

00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:50.660
the perfect lamb to sacrifice once for always.

00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:53.859
So the ephod that was ordained for the high priest

00:28:53.859 --> 00:28:56.559
to wear was representative of Jesus Christ. Now

00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:59.359
the ephod that's created by Gideon and stored

00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:02.009
in... Bofra doesn't have onyx on the shoulders.

00:29:02.109 --> 00:29:04.869
It's a fine garment made of gold and purple and

00:29:04.869 --> 00:29:07.549
all that. It's a great looking garment. But it

00:29:07.549 --> 00:29:09.750
is essentially, in comparison, unholy underwear

00:29:09.750 --> 00:29:12.500
because it does not represent... Christ. And

00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:15.380
if you come to God through the worship of some

00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:18.019
other thing, some other method, you will not

00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:21.119
be accepted by God because God sent his own son

00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:23.859
for that purpose. And so they begin to worship

00:29:23.859 --> 00:29:26.319
the ephod. And for 40 years while they're doing

00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:28.599
that, they are receiving the benefits of having

00:29:28.599 --> 00:29:31.039
followed Gideon who followed God into battle

00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:33.519
and ordaining God as their king. And all the

00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:36.640
while... in synergistic fashion, adding the ephod

00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:39.079
as another god, essentially. We won't go there

00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:41.880
and read it because it's a long story, but elsewhere

00:29:41.880 --> 00:29:43.200
in the book of Judges, which we'll eventually

00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:45.759
get to in probably some months out, in chapter

00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:48.960
17 and 18, there is another ephod created. And

00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:50.980
a man takes a priest into his own household,

00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:52.960
builds the necessary accoutrements so they can

00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:54.420
have worship just like they have in the temple.

00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:56.599
It's all false worship, right? It's not the worship

00:29:56.599 --> 00:29:58.839
of the temple. And an ephod is created there.

00:29:58.980 --> 00:30:01.119
And then later, that ephod and all the articles

00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:03.779
of that and the priest are stolen from him. him

00:30:03.779 --> 00:30:06.900
by somebody who wants to do worship, wants to

00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:09.720
capture the God of Israel and do worship on their

00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:12.099
own. If somebody takes our chairs, if somebody

00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:14.920
takes our pulpit, if somebody takes our Bibles.

00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:18.539
Caution, we had better be ready to worship the

00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:20.740
God of the universe through Jesus Christ, his

00:30:20.740 --> 00:30:23.660
son, without all the trappings that we have added

00:30:23.660 --> 00:30:26.299
to Christianity. So no, no, no, no, no, no. The

00:30:26.299 --> 00:30:29.019
Bible is not a trapping that mankind added to

00:30:29.019 --> 00:30:31.579
Christianity. It is the holy inspired word of

00:30:31.579 --> 00:30:33.799
God. And I don't disagree with you at all that

00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:36.440
that's true. But I will tell you that this Bible.

00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:40.480
cost about $3, and it sat up here largely unused.

00:30:40.900 --> 00:30:43.720
And it's gotten some use, but very rarely. The

00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:45.859
Bibles that are on the shelf in my office, I

00:30:45.859 --> 00:30:47.839
collect like different versions, and we have

00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:49.539
some Bibles at our house that go back to like

00:30:49.539 --> 00:30:53.900
the mid -1800s, right? And those Bibles are unused.

00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:55.819
They're collector's items. But maybe in the first

00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:58.380
or second generation they were used. But I ask

00:30:58.380 --> 00:31:01.019
you, how many Bible verses are you actually using

00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:04.160
to make your decisions on a daily basis? Is this

00:31:04.160 --> 00:31:06.779
just a trapping of our Christianity? or have

00:31:06.779 --> 00:31:09.579
we embraced the truth that God has given us through

00:31:09.579 --> 00:31:11.940
his word and begun to live by it? If it's just

00:31:11.940 --> 00:31:14.400
a trapping, it will do you no good. You can worship

00:31:14.400 --> 00:31:16.640
it all day long. You can memorize more of this

00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:19.799
than anybody else. In fact... This is hurtful

00:31:19.799 --> 00:31:22.759
to say. I'm going to tell you that in hell for

00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:25.640
an eternity will be more beings, if you include

00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:27.559
the demons and evil spirits, who know this whole

00:31:27.559 --> 00:31:29.900
book from cover to cover than there will be in

00:31:29.900 --> 00:31:31.980
heaven for an eternity. Because they are working

00:31:31.980 --> 00:31:35.039
through this tool just the same as God is trying

00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:37.319
to work through his word. The power is in the

00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:40.220
gospel. Jesus Christ is the living word. Embrace

00:31:40.220 --> 00:31:43.539
Jesus or recognize yourself as an enemy of the

00:31:43.539 --> 00:31:46.319
Lord. When God -prescribed worship is replaced

00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:49.839
with human innovation of any kind, even quote

00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:53.180
-unquote religious objects become stumbling blocks.

00:31:53.559 --> 00:31:55.740
So now they would come to the church buildings

00:31:55.740 --> 00:31:57.640
of the Christians because they could sit there

00:31:57.640 --> 00:32:00.420
and listen to the choirs and see better on the

00:32:00.420 --> 00:32:03.960
dais and the pastor had a pulpit and didn't preach

00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:06.619
a gospel that was convicting or caused them to

00:32:06.619 --> 00:32:08.180
recognize they had sinned and needed a savior,

00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:11.220
okay, and also never come to Christ through that

00:32:11.220 --> 00:32:13.750
anyway. The high priest's ephod carried Deep

00:32:13.750 --> 00:32:16.490
theological meaning. The two onyx stones on each

00:32:16.490 --> 00:32:18.910
of the shoulders. Each stone bore the names of

00:32:18.910 --> 00:32:21.349
the tribes. And I submit to you symbolically

00:32:21.349 --> 00:32:23.930
my name and your name. We don't know for sure

00:32:23.930 --> 00:32:26.630
that they wore the ephod of Gideon that he stored

00:32:26.630 --> 00:32:29.150
in Ophrah. But we hear that it became a snare

00:32:29.150 --> 00:32:32.450
to them from then on. Worse, they played the

00:32:32.450 --> 00:32:34.130
harlot with it. It became an object of faith,

00:32:34.210 --> 00:32:36.609
like a god. Some people living today are saying,

00:32:36.750 --> 00:32:39.190
God alone is in charge of my life. But what they

00:32:39.190 --> 00:32:42.589
actually mean is, I say the Lord alone is in

00:32:42.589 --> 00:32:45.700
charge. to my life. I ordain the Lord is Lord

00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:47.980
of my life. But I submit to you that if you can

00:32:47.980 --> 00:32:50.319
ordain that the Lord is the Lord of your life,

00:32:50.359 --> 00:32:53.099
you can tomorrow ordain that the Lord is no longer

00:32:53.099 --> 00:32:56.259
the Lord of your life. The fact is, God is God.

00:32:56.700 --> 00:33:00.180
And Jesus is his son and was in the flesh for

00:33:00.180 --> 00:33:02.640
34 or 5 or whatever years it actually was. I

00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:04.019
don't have the actual calendar dates, but the

00:33:04.019 --> 00:33:06.480
calculation should be 34 or 35 years on the earth.

00:33:06.660 --> 00:33:09.240
God has a right to be in charge of everything

00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:12.299
and is in charge of everything whether you like

00:33:12.299 --> 00:33:14.599
it or not. So coming to Christianity, coming

00:33:14.599 --> 00:33:17.319
to faith in Christ is not about a person saying,

00:33:17.460 --> 00:33:20.990
I recognize Jesus Christ as my Lord. It's about

00:33:20.990 --> 00:33:23.910
a person having Jesus Christ as Lord. You confess

00:33:23.910 --> 00:33:26.069
with your mouth. Notice it does not say you make

00:33:26.069 --> 00:33:29.769
promises, you make a covenant, you declare. It

00:33:29.769 --> 00:33:32.569
says you confess, meaning I recognize, I realize,

00:33:32.730 --> 00:33:36.750
I accept this truth that Jesus Christ is Lord

00:33:36.750 --> 00:33:39.690
and that God raised him from the dead. If you

00:33:39.690 --> 00:33:42.089
will do that, you accept it, you confess it,

00:33:42.170 --> 00:33:45.069
you recognize it, you ascend to the knowledge,

00:33:45.130 --> 00:33:48.250
if you will, but you don't make it so. You can't

00:33:48.250 --> 00:33:51.240
make it so. You will not get out of bed tomorrow

00:33:51.240 --> 00:33:53.539
and say, I'm going to make Jesus Lord of my life

00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:56.980
today. Those words are all messed up. Jesus is

00:33:56.980 --> 00:33:59.880
Lord of the life of every non -Christian. They

00:33:59.880 --> 00:34:02.500
just don't know it. And as Lord of their lives,

00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:05.220
they are denying him daily, failing to follow

00:34:05.220 --> 00:34:09.050
him daily, abusing daily. Some say Lord alone,

00:34:09.190 --> 00:34:11.530
but what they actually mean is I say he is Lord

00:34:11.530 --> 00:34:14.269
and I make him Lord of my life. And then in that

00:34:14.269 --> 00:34:16.809
realization, somewhere down the road, they ordain

00:34:16.809 --> 00:34:19.389
another idol to share the place. So four things

00:34:19.389 --> 00:34:21.349
to see here. These go by fairly fast. So if you're

00:34:21.349 --> 00:34:23.349
a note taker, write them down quickly. The first

00:34:23.349 --> 00:34:26.449
one is they had a declaration. They said God

00:34:26.449 --> 00:34:31.090
is properly king. At least Gideon did. God is

00:34:31.090 --> 00:34:33.210
properly king. And since Gideon was ruling over

00:34:33.210 --> 00:34:35.630
them for the next 40 years, they heard it over

00:34:35.630 --> 00:34:38.030
and over and over again. God is king. Now, I

00:34:38.030 --> 00:34:40.429
don't know when in the 40 years that Ephod, if

00:34:40.429 --> 00:34:42.690
it ever did, became a problem for Gideon specifically,

00:34:42.989 --> 00:34:44.909
but I know that his sons, it becomes a problem.

00:34:44.989 --> 00:34:47.050
We know eventually that one of his sons that

00:34:47.050 --> 00:34:49.070
was sort of from an illegitimate marriage actually

00:34:49.070 --> 00:34:50.710
tries to become king. We're going to see that

00:34:50.710 --> 00:34:53.650
in the book yet, okay? The point is the declaration

00:34:53.650 --> 00:34:56.690
made, God is properly king, but then there is

00:34:56.690 --> 00:34:59.280
the collection. The collection is symbolic. The

00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:02.420
collection is an act of unification. The collection

00:35:02.420 --> 00:35:05.079
is maybe an act of declaration, declaring the

00:35:05.079 --> 00:35:07.699
worth of God, the worth of Gideon in God, and

00:35:07.699 --> 00:35:10.219
so on. The collection takes place. Then there

00:35:10.219 --> 00:35:12.239
is the crafting. So what I'm asking you, what

00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:14.059
have you collected? What have you added to your

00:35:14.059 --> 00:35:16.079
life at this point in time? Then there is the

00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:18.519
crafting. And they turn that thing into something

00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:20.820
pretty special. And they even try to turn it

00:35:20.820 --> 00:35:22.340
into something that looks like something else

00:35:22.340 --> 00:35:25.019
that God ordained, right? So what are you taking

00:35:25.019 --> 00:35:26.820
that's in your life that's a good thing that

00:35:26.820 --> 00:35:28.219
maybe God gave it to you in the first place and

00:35:28.219 --> 00:35:29.840
then you're adding it with something else or

00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:31.980
you're crafting it into something that now is

00:35:31.980 --> 00:35:33.780
becoming like a control of your life. We talked

00:35:33.780 --> 00:35:36.000
quite a bit this morning about why we're in church

00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:38.349
when other churches are closed. worshiping God

00:35:38.349 --> 00:35:40.909
and giving God first place. But be careful because

00:35:40.909 --> 00:35:44.170
being in church can become that God, that thing.

00:35:44.309 --> 00:35:47.369
If you add that and put that before Christ, then...

00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:49.340
The next generation, your kids will think they're

00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:50.900
okay because they're in church every Sunday but

00:35:50.900 --> 00:35:52.599
never accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

00:35:52.739 --> 00:35:54.860
You don't want that. So what have you collected

00:35:54.860 --> 00:35:57.780
and how are you crafting it to become something

00:35:57.780 --> 00:36:00.079
it was never meant to be? Caution. I would submit

00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:02.480
it's probably the process has begun in just about

00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:03.920
everybody's life. You're still living, so you're

00:36:03.920 --> 00:36:06.340
still collecting things. You're a creator. God

00:36:06.340 --> 00:36:07.920
made you a creator, so you're still creating

00:36:07.920 --> 00:36:10.400
things. You're still changing things, affecting

00:36:10.400 --> 00:36:12.679
things with your every choice, with your every

00:36:12.679 --> 00:36:15.079
speaking. If you're ever showing up, you're still

00:36:15.079 --> 00:36:17.260
doing that. So I would submit this process. going

00:36:17.260 --> 00:36:19.679
on in everyone's life. But then finally, there's

00:36:19.679 --> 00:36:21.900
the trap. They wind up in the trap. Did you know

00:36:21.900 --> 00:36:24.519
that if you are stranded in the woods, that you

00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:27.400
can make a snare and catch small game for yourself,

00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:29.659
basically, if you just have a pocket knife? And

00:36:29.659 --> 00:36:31.500
someone will argue that you probably could do

00:36:31.500 --> 00:36:33.000
it even without that. And that's probably true.

00:36:33.179 --> 00:36:35.619
You can make about a thousand different kinds

00:36:35.619 --> 00:36:37.880
of snares that will catch small game. You probably

00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:39.800
like to have the pocket knife to clean it. But

00:36:39.800 --> 00:36:41.139
if you know how to make about three different

00:36:41.139 --> 00:36:44.219
kinds of snares in an animal populated wood,

00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:46.619
you can keep from starving to death. Well, that's

00:36:46.619 --> 00:36:48.760
significant. You don't need bait. By the way,

00:36:48.760 --> 00:36:49.920
everybody thinks you need bait. That's one of

00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:50.980
the things you need. That's not actually true.

00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:53.159
And you don't have to harvest bait from the woods

00:36:53.159 --> 00:36:54.619
and put it in the trap. That's not actually true.

00:36:54.739 --> 00:36:57.380
Because animals do this thing where they basically

00:36:57.380 --> 00:37:00.199
follow the same courses to water and to feed

00:37:00.199 --> 00:37:02.239
all the time. So there's deer trails in the woods.

00:37:02.320 --> 00:37:04.159
We have a trail that leads from the creek back

00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:05.800
behind our house. It leads up toward our garbage

00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:07.360
can. It's almost gone now because we got the

00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:08.780
cool garbage cans with the lids and they can't

00:37:08.780 --> 00:37:10.159
get in there very easily anymore. So that trail

00:37:10.159 --> 00:37:11.840
is almost gone now. But we had it for about 10

00:37:11.840 --> 00:37:14.280
years because the animals at the backwoods would

00:37:14.280 --> 00:37:17.409
walk the same. 12 inch wide path all the way.

00:37:17.409 --> 00:37:19.250
Some of you have seen the trail and he was there

00:37:19.250 --> 00:37:21.429
for many years, right? To go to our garbage cans,

00:37:21.690 --> 00:37:24.789
coons and possum and groundhogs, right? And so

00:37:24.789 --> 00:37:26.789
all you got to do is put that snare there and

00:37:26.789 --> 00:37:28.889
they'll walk right into it. I submit to you that

00:37:28.889 --> 00:37:31.789
this is what God is saying us. Be aware that

00:37:31.789 --> 00:37:34.730
there is the easy crafting of a snare and you

00:37:34.730 --> 00:37:37.769
can be trapped by good things of this life that

00:37:37.769 --> 00:37:41.050
are added unto you and then changed by you into

00:37:41.050 --> 00:37:43.909
things that even mock or mimic that which God.

00:37:44.320 --> 00:37:47.179
has added into your life for benefit. There is

00:37:47.179 --> 00:37:49.860
no skill other than that which you were created

00:37:49.860 --> 00:37:52.239
with, just being a human being that is necessary

00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:54.699
for creating a trap. So how do we avoid creating

00:37:54.699 --> 00:37:56.119
these traps for ourselves? Well, number one,

00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.940
you need to know the surface nature of the symbol

00:37:58.940 --> 00:38:02.719
in question, okay? So God gives you family. Family

00:38:02.719 --> 00:38:05.269
is meant to represent family of God. So dad should

00:38:05.269 --> 00:38:06.949
be a Christian, mom should be a Christian, and

00:38:06.949 --> 00:38:08.570
all kids in the household should be Christians.

00:38:08.670 --> 00:38:10.389
They all should be trying to follow the Lord.

00:38:10.489 --> 00:38:13.469
It's meant to. Marriage between a man and a woman

00:38:13.469 --> 00:38:15.929
meant to represent the marriage between Christ

00:38:15.929 --> 00:38:18.070
and the church. This is what these things were

00:38:18.070 --> 00:38:20.809
ordained for. It goes back to the fall. We have

00:38:20.809 --> 00:38:22.869
a sinful nature, right? We have the ability to

00:38:22.869 --> 00:38:25.250
create. We can create in our sinful nature or

00:38:25.250 --> 00:38:27.150
we can create in our regenerated nature. We'll

00:38:27.150 --> 00:38:29.429
do either one of those things based on what we

00:38:29.429 --> 00:38:32.309
know and are willing to decide. In this case,

00:38:32.389 --> 00:38:35.849
the ephod was similar to the symbol. So let's

00:38:35.849 --> 00:38:38.389
talk briefly about what's good in life. So you

00:38:38.389 --> 00:38:41.369
probably like a good steak. Most people do. Or

00:38:41.369 --> 00:38:44.349
maybe a nice broiled chicken breast, right? These

00:38:44.349 --> 00:38:46.670
are good things in life. Properly seasoned, properly

00:38:46.670 --> 00:38:48.710
cooked, that's a good thing. You go to a restaurant.

00:38:49.159 --> 00:38:51.320
What size steak do they give you? Well, usually

00:38:51.320 --> 00:38:54.800
10, 12, 13 ounces, about 30 bucks, right? You

00:38:54.800 --> 00:38:56.940
get a good one. How much steak should a person

00:38:56.940 --> 00:38:59.219
eat in one sitting? Well, a serving of steak

00:38:59.219 --> 00:39:01.739
is about four ounces. It's about the size of

00:39:01.739 --> 00:39:03.400
a cigarette pack, if you remember what those

00:39:03.400 --> 00:39:05.280
look like, or a credit card, a little bigger

00:39:05.280 --> 00:39:06.860
than a credit card. Most people know that shape.

00:39:07.019 --> 00:39:09.599
So when you sit down and eat that 12 -ounce steak,

00:39:09.800 --> 00:39:12.079
you're eating three times the serving of meat

00:39:12.079 --> 00:39:13.559
that a human being should eat to be healthy.

00:39:13.659 --> 00:39:16.170
Understand? But boy, it tastes good. The fifth

00:39:16.170 --> 00:39:17.909
ounce tastes just as good as a fourth ounce.

00:39:18.050 --> 00:39:19.989
The 11th ounce tastes just as good as a fourth

00:39:19.989 --> 00:39:22.429
ounce. See how this works? Is steak a good thing?

00:39:22.570 --> 00:39:25.179
Sure it is. Is eating... 12 ounces of steak in

00:39:25.179 --> 00:39:26.900
one sitting a good thing? No. Because here's

00:39:26.900 --> 00:39:28.500
what happens. That 12 ounces will be in your

00:39:28.500 --> 00:39:30.960
colon three to four days later. That's how that

00:39:30.960 --> 00:39:35.179
works. Takes about 36 to 40 hours to digest four

00:39:35.179 --> 00:39:37.519
ounces properly and pass it. And if you go three

00:39:37.519 --> 00:39:38.940
times that, it's going to take you about three,

00:39:39.019 --> 00:39:41.059
four days. While that's happening, your body

00:39:41.059 --> 00:39:43.360
is not able to process all the other good foods

00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:44.920
that it needs for the good nutrients that it

00:39:44.920 --> 00:39:47.300
needs to do everything you need, like your brain,

00:39:47.460 --> 00:39:49.460
your nervous system, your muscles, regenerate

00:39:49.460 --> 00:39:52.800
everything, proper oxygen passing, proper hydration.

00:39:53.420 --> 00:39:55.739
All of that starts to fail all because you had

00:39:55.739 --> 00:39:58.699
to have a 14 -ounce steak. So you need to know

00:39:58.699 --> 00:40:02.199
the surface nature of the symbol of things. A

00:40:02.199 --> 00:40:05.039
steak is a good thing. Misusing it is not. How

00:40:05.039 --> 00:40:07.679
about worship? So worship is meant to honor the

00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:10.860
God of the universe. During worship, you should

00:40:10.860 --> 00:40:12.960
be able to, if you're a Christian, you should

00:40:12.960 --> 00:40:15.880
be able to focus on God and forget. Listen to

00:40:15.880 --> 00:40:17.099
me, Michael. Listen to this. This is important.

00:40:17.280 --> 00:40:20.179
You should be able to forget whoever you walked

00:40:20.179 --> 00:40:22.360
into the room with. And I'm saying, Dominic.

00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:24.440
you should be able to worship God and forget

00:40:24.440 --> 00:40:26.199
that you walked into the room with Haley and

00:40:26.199 --> 00:40:28.880
vice versa. In fact, if you're a man and you're

00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:31.420
in this room, as a husband and a follower of

00:40:31.420 --> 00:40:35.099
the Lord, you should release your wife to worship

00:40:35.099 --> 00:40:38.739
God that way and not... have any call on them

00:40:38.739 --> 00:40:42.159
or any distraction, anything on them while they

00:40:42.159 --> 00:40:44.099
are doing that. In fact, not only you should

00:40:44.099 --> 00:40:46.019
release them to do that, you should be in full

00:40:46.019 --> 00:40:48.900
support of them doing that, which means you yourself

00:40:48.900 --> 00:40:51.940
have to focus on God that way in order to set

00:40:51.940 --> 00:40:53.920
the example. Now I can give you a hundred more

00:40:53.920 --> 00:40:56.039
of those if you want. You memorize verses of

00:40:56.039 --> 00:40:59.139
the Bible, right? So memorize them. Great. That's

00:40:59.139 --> 00:41:01.820
a spiritual discipline. Don't stop there. Every

00:41:01.820 --> 00:41:04.039
verse of the Bible has one or more applications.

00:41:04.119 --> 00:41:07.239
Put them into work in your life. Do the things

00:41:07.239 --> 00:41:09.679
you read, right? Don't be somebody that looks

00:41:09.679 --> 00:41:11.639
in a mirror and forgets what he looks like. Be

00:41:11.639 --> 00:41:14.719
not only a hearer, but a doer of the word. And

00:41:14.719 --> 00:41:17.980
James says that a person recognizes these things

00:41:17.980 --> 00:41:21.579
are not just symbolic, but they have a nature.

00:41:22.139 --> 00:41:24.059
And they have a purpose. And if you come in here,

00:41:24.260 --> 00:41:26.780
for example, if you come to church every Sunday,

00:41:26.820 --> 00:41:28.880
think, well, I can't wait to see my girlfriend,

00:41:29.059 --> 00:41:31.159
my boyfriend. I can't wait to see Pastor Dan.

00:41:31.300 --> 00:41:33.579
I'm sure none of you do that, right? Okay. Some

00:41:33.579 --> 00:41:34.780
people are doing that because they want to say

00:41:34.780 --> 00:41:36.679
things to me and like that. I get that. All right.

00:41:36.679 --> 00:41:39.119
That's cool. Or I want to go see RJ. All right.

00:41:39.480 --> 00:41:42.579
I got to be there because I got to play the guitar,

00:41:42.820 --> 00:41:46.539
right? If that's your motivation, you are doing

00:41:46.539 --> 00:41:48.900
exactly what they did. And I'm here to say to

00:41:48.900 --> 00:41:51.280
you, you already built the snare. You've already

00:41:51.280 --> 00:41:52.989
built it. And you're going to wind up trapped

00:41:52.989 --> 00:41:55.190
in it away from the God of the universe if you're

00:41:55.190 --> 00:41:56.690
not careful. Then you're going to go home and

00:41:56.690 --> 00:41:58.110
you're going to be like, why don't my finances

00:41:58.110 --> 00:42:00.469
line up? After you have been falsely following

00:42:00.469 --> 00:42:04.269
God day after day after day. Why doesn't my wife

00:42:04.269 --> 00:42:06.449
say the things I like her to say? Why doesn't

00:42:06.449 --> 00:42:08.489
my kids do what I ask them to do? Why doesn't

00:42:08.489 --> 00:42:11.269
my job give me more money, more raises? Why don't

00:42:11.269 --> 00:42:14.239
people donate more? You're just going to have

00:42:14.239 --> 00:42:15.880
all these questions about why things aren't lining

00:42:15.880 --> 00:42:17.800
up. And God's going to be like, you know, if

00:42:17.800 --> 00:42:20.320
you would just worship me like I showed you,

00:42:20.420 --> 00:42:23.440
if you just come to me through Jesus Christ like

00:42:23.440 --> 00:42:26.260
I showed you, like I told you, you'd get it.

00:42:26.380 --> 00:42:29.559
And then trappings, wealth, blessings, loyalty,

00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:33.019
effectiveness, the list goes on. These are things

00:42:33.019 --> 00:42:35.239
that we want. Everybody wants a nice new car

00:42:35.239 --> 00:42:36.800
that doesn't break down when they drive it. You

00:42:36.800 --> 00:42:38.420
know how many times I've bought a brand new car

00:42:38.420 --> 00:42:41.000
in my life? I'm going on 56 years old. I'll be

00:42:41.000 --> 00:42:43.320
56 years old next month. We've all won, ever.

00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:46.420
In retrospect, probably a mistake, right? Christians,

00:42:46.619 --> 00:42:48.940
and I know this is, you know, you find your own

00:42:48.940 --> 00:42:50.400
way in the Lord and make your own decision, but

00:42:50.400 --> 00:42:52.579
probably never need a new car. You probably don't

00:42:52.579 --> 00:42:54.920
need it. You need transportation, right? As soon

00:42:54.920 --> 00:42:56.559
as you drive a car off the lot, it loses a bunch

00:42:56.559 --> 00:42:58.519
of its value. So buy the one that already lost

00:42:58.519 --> 00:43:00.599
the value. Two weeks, if you can find it. If

00:43:00.599 --> 00:43:02.039
you really need to buy something that's super

00:43:02.039 --> 00:43:04.119
reliable, buy the one that already lost the value

00:43:04.119 --> 00:43:05.900
for less than that, and it'll still have the

00:43:05.900 --> 00:43:08.059
same value it had, but for you, because it's

00:43:08.059 --> 00:43:09.960
the value of getting places. There are trappings.

00:43:10.079 --> 00:43:13.039
Well, blessings of this life. You want people

00:43:13.039 --> 00:43:14.960
to say the right things to you. You want people

00:43:14.960 --> 00:43:16.760
to do this. the things you want them to do so

00:43:16.760 --> 00:43:19.800
you're gonna follow whatever it takes to get

00:43:19.800 --> 00:43:23.219
that right and like Gideon wind up with a snare

00:43:23.219 --> 00:43:25.480
not just for you but for your whole family Taking

00:43:25.480 --> 00:43:28.159
steps, making plans, decisions, manufacturing,

00:43:28.619 --> 00:43:32.679
shaping things, and not eradicating it once error

00:43:32.679 --> 00:43:35.780
is detected is all it takes. And pretty soon,

00:43:35.820 --> 00:43:38.559
you fail to fear God enough to let him do what

00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:40.340
only God can do. Because you think, well, it's

00:43:40.340 --> 00:43:42.679
okay. The bills are paid, right? We're managing

00:43:42.679 --> 00:43:44.260
to pay our bills right now, so everything's okay.

00:43:44.320 --> 00:43:45.840
We're fine. We got really everything we need.

00:43:45.960 --> 00:43:48.019
So then you don't have to depend on God to pay

00:43:48.019 --> 00:43:50.860
your bills. But you do depend on God, not just

00:43:50.860 --> 00:43:52.519
for paying your bills, but for literally everything.

00:43:52.800 --> 00:43:55.119
So then the tithe becomes no... great commitment

00:43:55.119 --> 00:43:57.679
at all, right? We worship the God of the universe,

00:43:57.920 --> 00:44:00.500
but, you know, we can do that at home. We don't

00:44:00.500 --> 00:44:02.960
really have to go to church. It's not that big

00:44:02.960 --> 00:44:05.019
of a deal because we can worship God anywhere,

00:44:05.139 --> 00:44:07.219
right? I know who God is. I met God through his

00:44:07.219 --> 00:44:09.019
son, Jesus Christ. I am saved, so I don't really

00:44:09.019 --> 00:44:12.019
have to do that. And pretty soon, you no longer

00:44:12.019 --> 00:44:15.099
have the fear that is necessary to realize you

00:44:15.099 --> 00:44:18.280
cannot come before God yourself. You are dependent

00:44:18.280 --> 00:44:21.559
upon Jesus to do that for you. And he opens the

00:44:21.559 --> 00:44:23.599
throne room of God to you. And he is gracious

00:44:23.599 --> 00:44:26.280
to do so. And God is merciful and kind and patient

00:44:26.280 --> 00:44:28.159
and forgiving. And I get all this. Slow to anger.

00:44:28.280 --> 00:44:30.940
All those things are true. But you need, at some

00:44:30.940 --> 00:44:33.239
point in time, to have a genuine connection with

00:44:33.239 --> 00:44:34.820
the God of the universe. Or otherwise, when the

00:44:34.820 --> 00:44:37.099
time comes, and he's going to say, do you got

00:44:37.099 --> 00:44:38.679
an invitation? You got an invitation? Come on,

00:44:38.679 --> 00:44:40.219
come on. If you got an invitation. And you're

00:44:40.219 --> 00:44:41.380
going to be like, well, I really don't have an

00:44:41.380 --> 00:44:43.920
invitation. I never needed one before. I never

00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:45.559
needed one before. I went to church all the time.

00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:47.480
I studied the Bible. I did things. I did good

00:44:47.480 --> 00:44:49.139
works. I never needed an invitation before. And

00:44:49.139 --> 00:44:50.340
now you're saying I have to have. an invitation

00:44:50.340 --> 00:44:52.460
to come to heaven for an eternity? And that's

00:44:52.460 --> 00:44:54.480
actually true. And the invitation is in Jesus

00:44:54.480 --> 00:44:57.679
Christ. Don't fail to fear God enough to let

00:44:57.679 --> 00:44:59.880
God do what only God can do. And we're supposed

00:44:59.880 --> 00:45:02.800
to do that even while growing to do what we can

00:45:02.800 --> 00:45:06.380
do in God. And we can do amazing things. So real

00:45:06.380 --> 00:45:09.599
quick, the protections are know the surface nature

00:45:09.599 --> 00:45:12.480
of a symbolic thing, whatever it is. You know

00:45:12.480 --> 00:45:14.400
why sports are so awesome? Because they teach

00:45:14.400 --> 00:45:16.300
us a lot of things about God. And anytime that

00:45:16.300 --> 00:45:18.840
stops or your investment is more than what you

00:45:18.840 --> 00:45:20.610
can learn, about god from it you should stop

00:45:20.610 --> 00:45:23.389
you shouldn't be involved games same way teaches

00:45:23.389 --> 00:45:25.809
a lot about fellowship teaches a lot fantasy

00:45:25.809 --> 00:45:28.659
i write fantasy books on top of doing Everything

00:45:28.659 --> 00:45:31.780
I do with the church, right? And fantasy teaches

00:45:31.780 --> 00:45:34.000
us about God. There are people yearning in the

00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:34.920
world. They don't know what they're yearning

00:45:34.920 --> 00:45:36.780
for. And so they read fantasy and that's their

00:45:36.780 --> 00:45:38.840
escape. But if they would just realize that what

00:45:38.840 --> 00:45:40.780
they're trying to escape is not really escapable

00:45:40.780 --> 00:45:43.019
except through Jesus Christ, then they come to

00:45:43.019 --> 00:45:45.199
God and they really escape this world. You see,

00:45:45.260 --> 00:45:46.860
if you're here today and you're a follower of

00:45:46.860 --> 00:45:48.059
the Lord Jesus Christ, you've already escaped

00:45:48.059 --> 00:45:49.900
this world. This is not your home. You've already

00:45:49.900 --> 00:45:51.920
escaped. So whatever you suffer, whatever your

00:45:51.920 --> 00:45:54.000
experience, it's only temporal now. Eventually,

00:45:54.059 --> 00:45:55.760
it will all be taken care of in the Lord. Know

00:45:55.760 --> 00:45:58.360
the surface nature of a thing. symbolic, etc.

00:45:58.739 --> 00:46:00.780
Realize there are trappings, wealth, and blessings.

00:46:01.059 --> 00:46:02.940
Loyalty, effectiveness could be one of those.

00:46:03.119 --> 00:46:05.599
Take steps, make plans, decisions, manufacture,

00:46:05.900 --> 00:46:08.559
shape it, and do not eradicate it once the error

00:46:08.559 --> 00:46:11.059
is detected and you will be trapped. Fail to

00:46:11.059 --> 00:46:13.679
fear God enough to let him to do what only God

00:46:13.679 --> 00:46:15.679
can do, which is basically almost everything.

00:46:15.880 --> 00:46:17.699
And that brings us then to our conclusion, but

00:46:17.699 --> 00:46:20.159
just making sure you got it. Gideon, who said

00:46:20.159 --> 00:46:23.559
God alone is properly king, in the very next

00:46:23.559 --> 00:46:26.940
breath, began to craft the trap that would trap

00:46:26.940 --> 00:46:30.079
not only him, but his entire family. And you

00:46:30.079 --> 00:46:32.699
or I could do the same. In fact, probably are

00:46:32.699 --> 00:46:35.039
doing the same and need to be aware of it. That

00:46:35.039 --> 00:46:37.320
brings us then to a verse. You will recognize

00:46:37.320 --> 00:46:39.480
it probably, but the second half of it, I don't

00:46:39.480 --> 00:46:41.179
think you will recognize. It's in Exodus 20.

00:46:41.320 --> 00:46:42.760
So those of you who are turning along in your

00:46:42.760 --> 00:46:45.199
Bibles, go to Exodus 20. And someone in the room

00:46:45.199 --> 00:46:46.980
is saying, oh, Exodus 20, that sounds very familiar.

00:46:47.199 --> 00:46:50.300
Jason, what's in Exodus 20? Tribute question.

00:46:50.519 --> 00:46:55.210
Haley, what's in Exodus 20? Seems familiar, though,

00:46:55.250 --> 00:46:57.550
doesn't it? Can't place. What is in there? Dominic,

00:46:57.550 --> 00:47:00.050
you know what's in Exodus 20? Elisha? Ten Commandments.

00:47:00.050 --> 00:47:02.369
That's right. We got it. As a team, we're a team,

00:47:02.489 --> 00:47:04.769
okay? So it's the Ten Commandments in Exodus

00:47:04.769 --> 00:47:07.329
20, but... Here's what I want you to do. I want

00:47:07.329 --> 00:47:09.449
you to stop, at least for this moment, thinking

00:47:09.449 --> 00:47:11.389
of it as the Ten Commandments. Don't do that.

00:47:11.530 --> 00:47:14.469
I brought it to mind so we could nix it. Listen

00:47:14.469 --> 00:47:17.150
to verse four, chapter 20, book of Exodus, verse

00:47:17.150 --> 00:47:20.250
four. Do not make an idol for yourself, whether

00:47:20.250 --> 00:47:23.130
in the shape of anything in the heavens above

00:47:23.130 --> 00:47:26.449
or on the earth below or in the waters under

00:47:26.449 --> 00:47:28.849
the earth. So I submit to you, it has been super

00:47:28.849 --> 00:47:31.769
common over the history of mankind to make statues

00:47:31.769 --> 00:47:34.329
of people to worship. It's really common, right?

00:47:34.449 --> 00:47:37.610
But also, animals, a little dove you carry in

00:47:37.610 --> 00:47:39.889
your pocket, you know, things like that. Super

00:47:39.889 --> 00:47:43.329
common. But anything means anything, which means

00:47:43.329 --> 00:47:47.309
also it means evods. It also means it makes anything

00:47:47.309 --> 00:47:50.469
that you would use as a symbol of worship, anything

00:47:50.469 --> 00:47:52.750
that you would use that would trap you, anything

00:47:52.750 --> 00:47:54.289
like that. That's what we're talking about. Do

00:47:54.289 --> 00:47:56.429
not make an idol for yourself, whether in the

00:47:56.429 --> 00:47:59.110
shape of anything in the heavens above or on

00:47:59.110 --> 00:48:01.269
the earth below or in the waters under the earth.

00:48:01.329 --> 00:48:04.820
You must not bow down to them. Or worship them.

00:48:04.840 --> 00:48:07.239
Okay, I get this. So the bow down part, do you

00:48:07.239 --> 00:48:09.400
think anybody was bowing down to the ephod? I

00:48:09.400 --> 00:48:10.400
think based on what we're reading, there probably

00:48:10.400 --> 00:48:13.559
were. But I can't see myself bowing down to a

00:48:13.559 --> 00:48:16.039
shirt. I just can't do it. Or a statue. Even

00:48:16.039 --> 00:48:18.300
if I thought it was a statue of God, I don't

00:48:18.300 --> 00:48:21.719
see that. Or a chair. I'm not going to bow down

00:48:21.719 --> 00:48:23.400
to a chair. That's just freaky. I don't know

00:48:23.400 --> 00:48:25.800
who those people are, but I'd like to talk to

00:48:25.800 --> 00:48:29.079
them. But now worship them. Now this is different.

00:48:29.340 --> 00:48:32.139
Because to worship something is to declare the

00:48:32.139 --> 00:48:35.690
value of it. Man, I love my grandkids. They frustrate

00:48:35.690 --> 00:48:38.150
me some, but they are awesome. I like everybody

00:48:38.150 --> 00:48:39.789
in this room. Everybody here, I love you all.

00:48:39.849 --> 00:48:41.889
I hope I do anyway. I try to. Yeah, they're awesome.

00:48:42.269 --> 00:48:44.869
We have a great worship team. I love our worship

00:48:44.869 --> 00:48:46.630
team, man. They are awesome. I'm so grateful

00:48:46.630 --> 00:48:48.309
for this building. God gave us this building.

00:48:48.449 --> 00:48:50.769
The $2 million building cost us $42 plus the

00:48:50.769 --> 00:48:53.050
renovation cost, most of which was paid by Mississippi,

00:48:53.369 --> 00:48:54.889
not even us. Man, what if we didn't have the

00:48:54.889 --> 00:48:55.929
building? What if we didn't have the chairs?

00:48:56.289 --> 00:48:58.630
Ooh, that hurts a little bit. I like my job.

00:48:58.750 --> 00:49:00.469
To be honest with you, I have the best job in

00:49:00.469 --> 00:49:01.949
the world. It's a pastor and a director of a

00:49:01.949 --> 00:49:03.619
life station. I have the best job in the world.

00:49:03.679 --> 00:49:06.599
I'm not paid like a doctor would be paid or super

00:49:06.599 --> 00:49:08.880
paid or anything. I had a great job. I love my

00:49:08.880 --> 00:49:10.980
job. What if I didn't have my job? I like my

00:49:10.980 --> 00:49:15.629
van, but my van's got 281 ,000 miles on it. 281

00:49:15.629 --> 00:49:17.670
,000 miles on it. I can't even fathom 281 ,000.

00:49:17.670 --> 00:49:20.010
I drove it, and I can't believe it, right? So

00:49:20.010 --> 00:49:21.829
what about when I don't have my van? I really

00:49:21.829 --> 00:49:24.090
like my van. You know, I hated the van when I

00:49:24.090 --> 00:49:25.710
got it. We got it for Sherry, and she drove it

00:49:25.710 --> 00:49:27.250
for work all the time, and then it got to be

00:49:27.250 --> 00:49:29.530
like 175 ,000 miles, and we're like, ooh, it

00:49:29.530 --> 00:49:31.670
might be unreliable. So we had to get her a different

00:49:31.670 --> 00:49:33.429
vehicle, right? And so then she drove her car.

00:49:33.489 --> 00:49:36.429
Now her car is over 200 ,000 miles. So we're

00:49:36.429 --> 00:49:37.949
going to need another car at some point. But

00:49:37.949 --> 00:49:39.489
man, I don't want to get another car. I like

00:49:39.489 --> 00:49:42.010
my van. To worship something is to declare the

00:49:42.010 --> 00:49:44.019
worth of it. Are we in danger? of that? What

00:49:44.019 --> 00:49:46.059
do you like? How good is it to you? Are you willing

00:49:46.059 --> 00:49:49.280
to say, okay, starting today, I'll not have nice

00:49:49.280 --> 00:49:53.059
clothes, a car, a house, my kids, my money, my

00:49:53.059 --> 00:49:55.800
job. Are you willing to say that there is literally

00:49:55.800 --> 00:49:58.219
nothing that you would declare the worth of?

00:49:58.340 --> 00:50:00.800
That's what we're asked, right? Now, it's not

00:50:00.800 --> 00:50:03.260
that we can't value things. In fact, we're supposed

00:50:03.260 --> 00:50:05.559
to create good things. We're creating the image

00:50:05.559 --> 00:50:06.820
of God, so we should be creating good things.

00:50:06.920 --> 00:50:11.039
But what he means is only God. Your allegiance,

00:50:11.280 --> 00:50:14.360
your valuing things, that's all got to be pointed

00:50:14.360 --> 00:50:17.119
to one place. And I submit to you that the symbolic

00:50:17.119 --> 00:50:18.739
nature, remember we're supposed to recognize

00:50:18.739 --> 00:50:20.619
the symbolic nature of things, the symbolic nature

00:50:20.619 --> 00:50:23.159
of every good thing that you're receiving is

00:50:23.159 --> 00:50:25.719
what? It is God loves you. Every good thing.

00:50:25.960 --> 00:50:27.920
The symbolic nature of that good thing. You enjoy

00:50:27.920 --> 00:50:29.659
sports? Okay, what is the symbolic nature of

00:50:29.659 --> 00:50:31.760
sports? That's a good thing. It's a good gift

00:50:31.760 --> 00:50:34.519
from God. And God loves you. And he lets you

00:50:34.519 --> 00:50:37.019
participate. He lets you do things. And so God

00:50:37.019 --> 00:50:39.960
should be first. Oh, but God is properly king.

00:50:40.239 --> 00:50:42.219
But you know, I really like, insert whatever

00:50:42.219 --> 00:50:44.980
your thing is. And soon, it's a snare to you

00:50:44.980 --> 00:50:47.139
and your entire family. Just like it was to Gideon.

00:50:47.219 --> 00:50:49.340
And you might last out your life. You might make

00:50:49.340 --> 00:50:51.360
it. You might make it for your whole life. You

00:50:51.360 --> 00:50:54.579
might enforce that your household is faithful

00:50:54.579 --> 00:50:57.820
to God. the whole time you were alive while building

00:50:57.820 --> 00:51:01.000
the trap day after day after day and making it

00:51:01.000 --> 00:51:04.039
so much better that your kids and your grandkids

00:51:04.039 --> 00:51:07.500
are guaranteed to be trapped in it and not follow

00:51:07.500 --> 00:51:09.219
the Lord. Just think about how many times the

00:51:09.219 --> 00:51:11.039
things that we value have interfered with our

00:51:11.039 --> 00:51:13.400
faithful obedience. When's the last time you

00:51:13.400 --> 00:51:16.519
went from wake up to bed and had lots of important

00:51:16.519 --> 00:51:19.219
things to do, busy, busy, busy, never opened

00:51:19.219 --> 00:51:21.920
your Bible, maybe never prayed the whole day.

00:51:22.019 --> 00:51:24.239
The Bible says pray without ceasing and you went

00:51:24.239 --> 00:51:26.260
the whole day. day, we're like, oh man, today

00:51:26.260 --> 00:51:28.860
was so busy. Oh, I'm so thankful that God took

00:51:28.860 --> 00:51:30.840
care of me today. And that was the first time

00:51:30.840 --> 00:51:32.800
you thought about him all day long. Caution.

00:51:32.800 --> 00:51:35.380
The danger is we may be building things that

00:51:35.380 --> 00:51:37.579
we declare the value of. And as we are declaring

00:51:37.579 --> 00:51:39.619
the value of, listen, I say this to you, like

00:51:39.619 --> 00:51:43.400
if I worshiped Jesus as God and also Zeus, let's

00:51:43.400 --> 00:51:45.239
say that was the case. And I only preach Jesus

00:51:45.239 --> 00:51:47.440
in here, but out there I worship Jesus, Zeus.

00:51:47.679 --> 00:51:49.179
And when somebody come over to my house and I'm

00:51:49.179 --> 00:51:50.820
trying to lead them to Jesus, I'm trying. I mean,

00:51:50.840 --> 00:51:52.239
I'm not talking about the Lord and sharing the

00:51:52.239 --> 00:51:53.840
gospel. I'm trying to lead them to Jesus, but

00:51:53.840 --> 00:51:55.280
they're just not having it. So I go, well, you

00:51:55.280 --> 00:51:57.760
know what? What about Zeus? He's good too. I

00:51:57.760 --> 00:51:59.099
mean, he's not as good as Jesus. Jesus is the

00:51:59.099 --> 00:52:01.320
most important God, but he's good too. Let me

00:52:01.320 --> 00:52:03.059
tell you about Zeus. And they're like, wow, that's

00:52:03.059 --> 00:52:05.559
kind of cool. Zeus is cool. Yeah, not so much

00:52:05.559 --> 00:52:07.699
commitment there. I don't really hurt on my sin.

00:52:07.780 --> 00:52:09.179
They're like, okay, I'll follow Zeus with you,

00:52:09.219 --> 00:52:11.420
right? And then I got two churches, the church

00:52:11.420 --> 00:52:13.780
of God and the church of Zeus, and both are growing.

00:52:14.219 --> 00:52:16.079
right? But for different reasons. Over here,

00:52:16.119 --> 00:52:17.480
because people are convicted of their sins, coming

00:52:17.480 --> 00:52:19.239
to Jesus and he's saving their souls. Over here,

00:52:19.280 --> 00:52:21.260
because they like the idea of Zeus, he's a lot

00:52:21.260 --> 00:52:22.719
less commitment, a lot less danger. Does that

00:52:22.719 --> 00:52:24.360
sound like it makes sense? But what if it's not

00:52:24.360 --> 00:52:27.460
Zeus? What if it's sports, money, cars, houses,

00:52:27.659 --> 00:52:30.639
relationships, kids, grandkids, jobs? What if

00:52:30.639 --> 00:52:32.280
it's one of those things? And when you get together

00:52:32.280 --> 00:52:33.539
with somebody, you're talking and they've got

00:52:33.539 --> 00:52:35.679
a problem, do you talk about Jesus? Or do you

00:52:35.679 --> 00:52:38.409
talk about... diligence, hard work, fixing the

00:52:38.409 --> 00:52:41.309
problems, good advice. Don't dwell on that. Go

00:52:41.309 --> 00:52:43.750
scream in your pillow. It helps me. Take this

00:52:43.750 --> 00:52:45.530
medicine. Take this for your stomach. It makes

00:52:45.530 --> 00:52:47.130
me feel better when I take it for my stomach.

00:52:47.269 --> 00:52:49.590
Is it all the other solutions or is it always

00:52:49.590 --> 00:52:51.989
Jesus first all the time? I think we're doing

00:52:51.989 --> 00:52:54.329
it. I think we need to be aware. You must not

00:52:54.329 --> 00:52:57.449
bow down to them. What is them? Anything that

00:52:57.449 --> 00:52:59.809
you would craft. Anything that you would find

00:52:59.809 --> 00:53:02.329
under the sun, even under the sea. We must not

00:53:02.329 --> 00:53:05.190
bow down to them or worship them. For I, the

00:53:05.190 --> 00:53:07.789
Lord your God, am a jealous God. And you've been

00:53:07.789 --> 00:53:09.889
jealous sometime in your life. A little bit envious.

00:53:09.989 --> 00:53:11.530
Even if it was a kid and you're like, well, he

00:53:11.530 --> 00:53:13.730
got the big piece of pizza. You've been jealous.

00:53:13.809 --> 00:53:15.969
But you better believe God's jealousness is perfect.

00:53:16.170 --> 00:53:18.650
I am a jealous God. Punishing the children for

00:53:18.650 --> 00:53:21.389
the father's sin to the third and fourth generations

00:53:21.389 --> 00:53:25.010
of those who hate me. Do you understand that

00:53:25.010 --> 00:53:27.889
when you bow down to or declare the worth of

00:53:27.889 --> 00:53:31.250
something other than God, God sees that as, hold

00:53:31.250 --> 00:53:34.969
on, he sees that as an expression. of your hatred

00:53:34.969 --> 00:53:38.130
for him. Not my words, his words. God sees an

00:53:38.130 --> 00:53:40.610
expression of your hatred for him when you declare

00:53:40.610 --> 00:53:43.909
the value of something or someone else under

00:53:43.909 --> 00:53:46.190
the sun. Woo, that's tough. I don't hate God,

00:53:46.289 --> 00:53:48.369
I love God. I don't wanna say how good other

00:53:48.369 --> 00:53:50.429
things are. I wanna just worship the God of the

00:53:50.429 --> 00:53:52.590
universe through Jesus, his son. I am so grateful

00:53:52.590 --> 00:53:54.170
that I have a high priest that goes in there

00:53:54.170 --> 00:53:56.349
and makes me able to enter the throne room and

00:53:56.349 --> 00:53:58.710
to come to heaven eternally. I am so grateful.

00:53:58.889 --> 00:54:01.409
But God is, it says, but showing faithful love,

00:54:01.449 --> 00:54:04.110
God shows faithful love. to a thousand generations

00:54:04.110 --> 00:54:06.889
of those who love me and keep my commandments.

00:54:07.679 --> 00:54:09.679
That's what we're called to. That's what we're

00:54:09.679 --> 00:54:12.559
called to. Now notice that little piece in there

00:54:12.559 --> 00:54:14.559
where it talks about it falling down to the additional

00:54:14.559 --> 00:54:16.179
generations. We're not going to go there and

00:54:16.179 --> 00:54:18.880
read it. In Ezekiel 18, God explains very clearly

00:54:18.880 --> 00:54:20.380
what had happened in Israel as they started thinking,

00:54:20.460 --> 00:54:22.900
well, your dad sinned, so you're worthy of death,

00:54:23.039 --> 00:54:24.900
right? They had a little phrase that they were

00:54:24.900 --> 00:54:27.280
saying about eating the sour grapes and the children

00:54:27.280 --> 00:54:29.119
grind their teeth, basically. And it meant if

00:54:29.119 --> 00:54:31.000
your dad sinned and we know your dad sinned,

00:54:31.000 --> 00:54:33.239
then you and your children are also worthy of

00:54:33.239 --> 00:54:35.340
death. And that's not true, right? Because God

00:54:35.340 --> 00:54:37.250
will offer salvation to those who... turn to

00:54:37.250 --> 00:54:39.550
him and are found righteous. And we get our righteousness

00:54:39.550 --> 00:54:41.429
through Jesus. And they didn't know that, but

00:54:41.429 --> 00:54:43.590
if they would say to God, I'll be your follower

00:54:43.590 --> 00:54:45.869
and however you want to do it, I'll do it, right?

00:54:45.949 --> 00:54:48.110
I'll let you save me however you want, then they

00:54:48.110 --> 00:54:50.449
would be saved that way, right? So in Ezekiel,

00:54:50.449 --> 00:54:52.610
he explains it very clearly. He says, if a man

00:54:52.610 --> 00:54:55.389
is walking in sin and will turn to me and become

00:54:55.389 --> 00:54:57.590
a righteous man, will I not forgive him? Of course

00:54:57.590 --> 00:55:00.170
I will. And if a man is walking in righteousness

00:55:00.170 --> 00:55:02.690
and would turn from me and become an unrighteous

00:55:02.690 --> 00:55:04.570
man, a wicked man, will I not hold him accountable?

00:55:04.829 --> 00:55:07.739
Of course I will. And so you will, it is appointed

00:55:07.739 --> 00:55:10.239
once for everyone to die and then the judgment.

00:55:10.380 --> 00:55:12.420
But when that time comes, you better believe

00:55:12.420 --> 00:55:14.980
we need to be judged on some standard other than

00:55:14.980 --> 00:55:17.019
whether we did right or not. Because we've all

00:55:17.019 --> 00:55:18.840
done wrong. We all have sinned and fall short

00:55:18.840 --> 00:55:20.940
of the glory of God. And the wages of that sin

00:55:20.940 --> 00:55:22.940
is death. But the gift of God is eternal life

00:55:22.940 --> 00:55:24.780
through Jesus Christ, our son, his son, sorry,

00:55:24.880 --> 00:55:27.099
Jesus Christ, his son. The more like God you

00:55:27.099 --> 00:55:29.489
become. David was a man after God's own heart.

00:55:29.670 --> 00:55:32.269
The more you will not consider your equality

00:55:32.269 --> 00:55:35.050
with God, and you were created to be in the image

00:55:35.050 --> 00:55:37.030
of God, to represent God. You are a creator.

00:55:37.050 --> 00:55:38.989
You speak things into existence. You make things

00:55:38.989 --> 00:55:41.130
with your hands. You craft things into what they

00:55:41.130 --> 00:55:44.889
are. The more you become like God, the more you

00:55:44.889 --> 00:55:47.809
will not consider equality with God a thing to

00:55:47.809 --> 00:55:49.809
be grasped. That's what Jesus did, Philippians

00:55:49.809 --> 00:55:51.989
2. He did not consider equality with God a thing

00:55:51.989 --> 00:55:53.869
to be grasped, though he surely had it. He didn't

00:55:53.869 --> 00:55:56.329
do it. He didn't keep it for himself. But you

00:55:56.329 --> 00:56:00.920
will submit yourself. Making is unbridled. You

00:56:00.920 --> 00:56:04.159
can make lots of things. It is unbridled power

00:56:04.159 --> 00:56:06.860
that is submitted to you, given as a gift by

00:56:06.860 --> 00:56:09.139
the God of the universe. Now, I'm asking you,

00:56:09.219 --> 00:56:12.300
in Christ, to make your life a life that sees

00:56:12.300 --> 00:56:16.980
God alone as King, Jesus alone as Lord. It recognizes

00:56:16.980 --> 00:56:19.500
that that's true, even on the days where I don't

00:56:19.500 --> 00:56:21.980
feel like it's true. Even if I'm struggling today

00:56:21.980 --> 00:56:24.780
and I'm mentally off, I still know the truth

00:56:24.780 --> 00:56:27.250
is the truth. You may not... like it, but God.

00:56:27.760 --> 00:56:30.539
Feels like you hate him when you value other

00:56:30.539 --> 00:56:34.079
things up even remotely near him. You call something

00:56:34.079 --> 00:56:36.380
else good. Even Jesus, the man came to Jesus

00:56:36.380 --> 00:56:38.440
and said, oh, good teacher. And Jesus says, why

00:56:38.440 --> 00:56:40.840
do you call me good? Only my father in heaven

00:56:40.840 --> 00:56:43.619
is good. He wouldn't even let that man declare

00:56:43.619 --> 00:56:46.579
his goodness. And we know he was good without

00:56:46.579 --> 00:56:48.360
correcting him and say, look, you shouldn't go

00:56:48.360 --> 00:56:49.820
around. Basically, he was saying, don't go around

00:56:49.820 --> 00:56:52.219
calling anyone or anything, no matter how good

00:56:52.219 --> 00:56:55.780
it is, good without first recognizing that only

00:56:55.780 --> 00:56:58.590
God is good. asking you today. Think about your

00:56:58.590 --> 00:56:59.969
life and the traps that you've been building

00:56:59.969 --> 00:57:01.710
for yourself. I want you to run through the woods

00:57:01.710 --> 00:57:04.329
of your life and kick every snare. Break it to

00:57:04.329 --> 00:57:05.849
shards. You're going to run some of the same

00:57:05.849 --> 00:57:07.349
paths. You still got to go to work. You still

00:57:07.349 --> 00:57:09.610
got to deal with your family members. Break every

00:57:09.610 --> 00:57:12.750
snare. Don't collect the parts. Don't build them

00:57:12.750 --> 00:57:15.650
into traps and don't get stuck. And whenever

00:57:15.650 --> 00:57:17.489
you think there's one that's close to getting

00:57:17.489 --> 00:57:20.090
you stuck, eradicate it. Become ruthless and

00:57:20.090 --> 00:57:21.570
say, I will not.